KOLKATA: Eve-teasers, pickpockets and snatchers beware! The Metro Railway coaches will not remain a happy hunting ground for long. Authorities are planning to introduce a system through which live video footage from inside metro coaches will be scanned even when trains are in motion. If any criminal activity is spotted, the crooks will be escorted off the coach at the next station by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and handed over to the police. Metro Railway will be the first underground network in the country to introduce this system. "We are...more...

introducing the GSM-R technology which is essentially a mobile train radio communication system. There is a provision in this system through which live video feed can be sent from inside coaches to the control room. This will help to keep miscreants at bay. We are at an advanced stage at the moment and only a few technical issues need to be sorted out. We will have to fit CCTV cameras at strategic points inside the coaches. The cameras will act as a deterrent for people planning some mischief when the train is in motion," said P B Murty, general manager, Metro Railway. The railways has decided to introduce the GSM-R technology for better communications. The RDSO has approved the design and work has been commissioned on 2,415-km of tracks. The equipment has already been inspected, installed and commissioned in some of the railway zones. With Metro Railway planning more services, the GSM-R technology will also result in safer travel as motormen will be in constant touch with stations and the control room. "Before long we shall have the Integrated Security System (ISS) in place. This will involve several activities like scanning of baggage and installation of more CCTV cameras at stations. We have already started to use CCTV footage to solve crimes. Recently, a gang of snatchers were nabbed from the Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station," Murty said. The Railway Board has already sanctioned additional RPF personnel for the metro network. At present, 295 personnel are deployed in the metro in addition to Kolkata Police personnel (known as Metro Railway Police). The ministry has cleared 723 new posts. Once all the personnel are in place, there will no longer be any need for the MRP. The additional personnel will be required as more networks are being added. Sources revealed that the West Bengal government is set to hand over its 25% stake in the Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation (KMRC) to the Indian Railways. The Metro Railway will naturally be in charge. It is not as if the authorities only have to deal with miscreants. With the network extending and the minimum fare remaining at Rs 4, all sorts of people are 'using' the services. "Sometime ago, we nabbed a woman purchasing tickets for herself and her differently-abled child and begging inside coaches. Better security will help to prevent such incidents," said Protyush Ghosh, DGM(G), Metro Railway.